When the San Jose Earthquakes made history in the offseason by signing Jacob Akanyirige and Gilbert Fuentes to Homegrown player contracts, they welcomed the two youngest ever players to their first team. The midfielders were both standouts in the Quakes Academy, and the move to add them to the senior squad was seen as a signal that San Jose’s youth development pipeline was ready to flow.
But the pair of signings also marked a bold move by general manager Jesse Fioranelli, who, since joining the team in January 2017, has not been afraid to shake things up.